About Flip Skateboards

Jeremy Fox and Ian Deacon are the joint owners of the American skateboard brand Flip Skateboards, which operates internationally. Besides decks, wheels, bearings, completes, hardware, and T-shirts, the company also makes tops, sweatshirts, hats, beanies, socks, and DVDs.

NHS Inc. of the United States was in charge of international distribution. HLC began representing the brand throughout Europe in July 2017.

History Deathbox Skateboards (UK)
It was in the United Kingdom in 1987 when Graham McEachran, Jeremy Fox, and Duncan Houlton established Deathbox Skateboards. During its time as this name, Tom Penny, Rune Glifberg, Andy Scott, and Geoff Rowley all became employees.

Moving to the United States
In July of 1994, Flip uprooted his life and went from the United Kingdom (UK) to California, USA. Team riders Jeremy Fox, Ian Deacon, and Geoff Rowley initially came in the United States in 2010, followed by Tom Penny and Rune Glifberg in 2011. Penny, Rowley, Glifberg, and Andy Scott were the four professional riders on the team at the time of the move. Professional skateboarder Ed Templeton, who also ran his own firm called Toy Machine, was a huge supporter of the business and its riders. Rowley stated that Templeton and his company "opened their arms to us, gave us local support, and had our back. Any ignorance was small and only served to make us stronger…..and faster!!!"

Despite the brand's foundation in the US, Rowley stated: "All the company owners are still British citizens, one runs a large percentage of our workday directly from England for the last five years, I would say that makes us British until death. People can consider us whatever they want but saying untrue negative things regarding these matters is just downright childish. The things Flip/Deathbox did for England and the English skate scene should not be sneered at ... there is no other way to get to the level we are at, without first accepting where skateboarding was born from, and respecting that all the mags are driven from here also, it is hard to gain friends if you aren’t visible.

A European based company cannot and will not be accepted across the whole of the USA unless they embrace those areas and live them, Flip is strong worldwide for this reason, plus running a business of this nature isn’t viable based in England, too costly."

Thinking back on the firm's relocation to the US
We were a brand-new firm expanding into a new country, and I don't think any of us really anticipated things to go "boom" and "fly right in." Since we didn't know many people and our only goal was to skate, we didn't have any high hopes. And I think that was something that, like, all the guys, when we first moved here, you know, Rune [Glifberg] and Tom [Penny], that was something that, you couldn't hold us back in that respect; we'd grown up dreaming of living in California and being able to wake up every day and go out and skate without it raining. Tom and I had just turned 17, and although we had spent some time away from home, we had never been away for long. We were suddenly strangers in a strange land after relocating to a new country. Nobody. We couldn't go around shattering boards because we had no money, no transportation, and only the one we had. We couldn't afford to replace ten boards per month when we were first getting our company off the ground. Since Ed Templeton lived almost across the street from me, I skated with him frequently.

Disbanding of Teams
Longtime team rider Arto Saari shocked the skateboarding world in 2008 by announcing his intention to leave Flip. Saari outlined the steps he took to leave Flip in an interview with skateboard journalist Chris Nieratko after his decision (Saari later contacted Nieratko to prevent the interview from being released, and the journalist instead published it on his personal website):

It was a lot of weight, but Flip handled it well. My fears that they would come and chop off my legs were unfounded, but the process has been taxing nonetheless. There have been no ill feelings. To put it simply, I needed to get over it. All my other sponsors have switched, so I might as well do it, too. That's not the time to quit. A new liver, a new board sponsor, a new shoe manufacturer, a new knee... Sure, I cried a little bit. Even though I've never been married before, besides to Flip, it seems like a divorce. Something along those lines makes sense to me. You enjoy some of it, but you can't help but skim through other portions. It's quite challenging to cope with. Are friends going to be lost?' you may be wondering. Are you afraid of losing customers? It was a difficult choice, and I'm still stressed up over it. I still can't believe this is happening, but I'm confident it's for the best. I finally broke down and admitted defeat. I couldn't take the insanity any longer, and I figured it was better to go than to try to make myself at home somewhere I no longer felt like I belonged. Since a lot has changed over the years, I figured I'd treat myself like a kid in a candy store and see what else is out there.

Rowley's reaction to Saari's decision was also addressed in the Nieratko interview.
To paraphrase: "Don't do it." It was inevitable, he realised. We haven't lost our friendship. He gets it. He tells me, “Do what you gotta do. Do some ice skating. It was a terrible experience, fraught with intense feelings. You've been in the same boat for so long that it's time to start taking various routes. When the boat gets too crowded with too many egos, someone has to jump ship and see where the next one takes them.

Saari elaborated on his choice to leave Flip in 2012, saying, "It wasn't, like, an easy thing to do, but, at the time, I knew I had to do it... for the reasons that happened, you know?" Saari was referring to the tragic death of his former teammate Shane Cross. That's why I've come to the conclusion that it's in my best interest to part ways with Flip rather than go out on my own. In an interview in 2012, professional skateboarder Ed Templeton said, "I mean I was completely shocked when he left Flip... it didn't make sense."

At the beginning of January 2011, Flip released a picture of Saari with the slogan "Home is Where the Hearto Is" to mark Saari's return to the squad. Rowley, Saari, and Thrasher editor-in-chief Jake Phelps discussed the choice in Phelps' office in San Francisco, US, and the ensuing video was posted to the magazine's website. Saari told Phelps that Flip is like family, saying, "You can take a man out of Flip, but you can't take the Flip out of the man."

Fox's re-recruitment of Saari was made public in 2012:
I met with him and Geoff one day since it was obvious he wanted to rejoin the team and it appeared like he truly wanted to be there. Arto is not an aggressive person in any way. I told Geoff one day, "Let's just, we need to drive up there right then, and just put him back on the team. He's never the man to ask for anything. Get him to re-don his clothes; otherwise, this will never happen. Perhaps as an adult he understood that while our family may have its share of quirks, it is still my family all the same.

And Saari has said this in 2012 as well:
It was largely taboo to discuss the topic. No one said, "You wanna get back on?" until it was almost too late. As I recall, my response was a simple "Yeah". Those are the men who helped me get where I am today. To which I responded, "You know what? I have to get on again right now.

Mark Appleyard, a veteran member of Flip's team, switched to Element Skateboards in October 2010. Appleyard gave an interview in October 2010 to discuss his choice.

I had already moved on [laughs]. I just needed to be more psyched on the company I ride for, and I think I outgrew it, and the team evolved to the point where I was like, "this shit ain't for me anymore," so I switched teams. It was tough to leave, but it was the right decision for the company. You Know? It shouldn't matter whatever team you ride for if someone is going to be your friend. I had to take control of the situation for my own interest. I couldn't be happier with my decision. It was arduous, but necessary, to... I mean, I could have chosen anything, but I feel like the vibe of Element is the most in line with me. Simply put, the company is pleasant and has a natural, organic vibe. Suddenly, I realised, "Damn, that's where I want to be." The folks I eventually met were fantastic, and we hit it off immediately. I feel terrible; it's really bad.

When longtime team member Rodrigo Teixeira announced his retirement from Flip in December 2010, the firm issued a statement reading, "Everyone at Flip would like to thank Rodrigo for all the good times and wish him all the best for the future." After that, in January 2011, Teixeira said in an interview, "I feel like it was time for me to make a move and do what I wanted to do," which was to join the roster of skateboard deck business Dirty Ghetto Kids (DGK). When it comes to DGK, we share similar interests. We can all go to the same place to skate and have a good time. Because it's a bigger part of who I am.

On July 21, 2014, the 3 Flip video project was posted to the TransWorld SKATEboarding website. Saar1 directed and filmed the video with the help of Josh Zucker over the course of three months, and it features Caples, Lopez, and Majerus.

Image of Cheech and Chong
Flip announced the official licencing of a Cheech & Chong (comedy duo, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong) design used thus far for a Penny trademark model in an ad headlined "Legalised!" in 2012. A 2009 explanation from Rowley:

Tom's fondness for Cheech and Chong is understandable. He's brought Flip a bunch of very cool ones he's had. However, the mushroom board is perhaps more well-known than either of them. We wing it at first, and then they figure it out. As long as he got some profits, Cheech Marin was cool with us continuing to create the board. So, we continue to make monthly payments to him. Since the year 2000, Cheech Marin has been receiving a paycheck from Flip.

In 2009, Rowley said, "It came out in '96 and is still one of our best-selling boards today." The 2012 ad copy said, "The officially approved (and legally licenced this time!) Cheech and Chong Tom Penny boards are back."

Awards
Bob Burnquist (back when he was sponsored by Anti-Hero), Geoff Rowley, Arto Saari, Mark Appleyard, and David González have all won Thrasher Skater of the Year. Appleyard won Best Street Skater at the 2007 Transworld Skateboarding Awards.

While Saari said, "I never thought it would actually like... whatever, happen to me, or what not," Rowley said, "Fucking weird, though it was flattering!" González said, "You don't even know how fucking stoked I am dude!" when asked how he felt about the unexpected development.

Past Competitions
The 2012 Maloof Money Cup in South Africa was won by Luan Oliveira, and Burnquist came in second place in the "Vert" division. Oliveira is also listed among the skateboarders who compete in the Street League.

In 2012, amateur rider Alec Majerus won the Tampa Am contest at the Skatepark of Tampa in Tampa, Florida, United States.Against an amateur field of 300, Majerus came out on top.

Team Pro Skaters
Burnquist, Bob
Glifberg, Rune
An Ascent of Mount Lance
Penny Tom
Dr. Luan de Oliveira
González, David
Saari, Arto
Asa Majerus
Mr. Matt Berger
Denise Pham
Former Lucas Rebelo
Toby Cerezini
Primitive Bastien Salabanzi
Back-up Plan: PJ Ladd
Shane Cross (Who Is Now Dead)
Mathematical Works of Rodrigo Teixeira
Element's Mark Appleyard
Element's Andrew Langi and Greyson Fletcher
Retired with an injury, Ali Boulala
Skate Mental's Geoff Rowley and Curren Caples
A. Scott, Andy
George Andrew Gordon
A. Meza Oscar
Wildgrube, Christopher "Willow"
Moul, Alex
Dr. Carl Shipman
Forward Louie Lopez
Palmer Keegan
Fletcher, Eric.
Maxallure's Marcos Montoya
Amateur Ben Nordberg (Sovrn)
Risvad, Alexander, International.
Cordova, Art
The Dharma of Sanggoe Tanjung
Juneau, Cory
Mendes, Matheus
Basral Raimu Sasaki In January of 2011, Graito Saari came back to work with the team.

After riding for Almost skateboards for a while, Matt Berger signed with Am Skateboards in October 2011.

Former team riders include: Rodrigo Teixeira, Mark Appleyard, PJ Ladd, Alex Moul, Alex Chalmers, Bastien Salabanzi, Andrew Langi, Greyson Fletcher, and Shane Cross (who tragically passed away in a motorbike accident in Melbourne, Australia in 2007).

Skateboard Flip Movies
Promo for the 1992 film The Long Overdue.
Penny, Rowley, Andy Scott, Glifberg, and Moul all make an appearance.
Sorry (2002)
Appleyard, Boulala, Chalmers, Glifberg, Penny, Rowley, Saari, and Salabanzi are just some of the names featured.
Sincerely Apologise (2003)
Appleyard, Boulala, Danilo Cerezini, Ladd, Penny, Rowley, Saari, and Salabanzi are just some of the names featured.

Eric Fletcher, Boulala, Gonzales, Lopez, Rowley, Mountain, Saari, Burnquist, Appleyard, Tx, Cross, and Penny all make appearances in Feast Tours (2006).

Sincerely Apologise (2009)
Highlighting the work of Boulala, Gonzalez, Penny, Appleyard, de Oliveira, Lopez, Christoph "Willow" Wildgrube, Nordberg, Cross, Glifberg, Rowley, Caples, Tx, Mountain, and Burnquist. Volcom Entertainment released an album of music from the film, including production by Baron.

Publicity short from 2012: The Weight of the World
Celebrities such as Majerus, Nordberg, Caples, Gonzalez, Rowley, Fletcher, Lopez, Oliveira, Berger, Meza, and Sebastian Gonzalez are featured.

In 2012, we saw the release of three full video portions by Flip riders: Gonzalez, Nordberg, and Meza. Gonzalez's "Possessed to Skate" video was produced in conjunction with Thrasher magazine; Nordberg's segment was released in May 2012; and Meza's "Let it Ride" film served as his official debut to the Flip squad.